SpaceX, Google top list of companies techies want to work for

Elon Musk, founder, CEO and lead designer at SpaceX and co-founder of Tesla. Photo: Reuters

Toronto: Space Exploration Technologies Corp., Alphabet Inc.’s Google, Shopify Inc. and Tesla Inc. are the most appealing companies for technology workers, according to a survey by online jobs marketplace Hired.

While big tech names topped the list, geographical breakdowns showed more diversity. Startups like SendGrid Inc., which does marketing email, had the highest ranking in Denver, while financial services like Capital One Financial Corp. topped scores in Washington. Online real estate database Redfin Corp., which went public this year, topped the list in Seattle.

Notable companies excluded from the global top-ten were Amazon.com Inc., Uber Technologies Inc., and Airbnb Inc. Amazon did come in No. 3 in hometown Seattle, however, just ahead of Microsoft Corp.

Of the remaining top-ranking tech brands, only two companies — Canada’s Shopify and Australia’s Atlassian Corp. —were based outside of California. Though cities have long grappled with a “brain drain” from engineering and technical talent moving to the Bay Area for jobs, recent shifts indicate that certain areas are starting to retain talent. Just look at Canada: Tech giants like Facebook Inc. and Google have an established presence in Toronto, Montreal and Kitchener-Waterloo.

Amazon is also looking for a city for its second headquarters that can not only attract, but retain technical talent. Cities that have the highest chances are those outside the Bay Area, including Boston, Chicago, Atlanta and Toronto, Bloomberg has reported.

Hired, which surveyed 2,349 people who use its platform, said job candidates were looking not for just a good salary but to develop new skills and be part of a company with a strong culture that reflected their values. Bloomberg